


Never Forget

by Scarfox15



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Mavin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-29
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 23:42:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1706873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarfox15/pseuds/Scarfox15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Gavin?" The voice was quiet as if far away, but Gavin could feel that someone was right next to him. He opened his eyes and found himself looking in the eyes of a freckled, curly haired teen.</p><p>"Who're you?" He asked, a confused frown on his face. The teen sharply inhaled, as if someone had hit him in the stomach. </p><p>"Gavin... It's me... Michael... Your-" Michael stopped. What was he about to say? Boyfriend? Was that what they were? Is that what they are? "Your best friend..." He said instead, now looking down at his glasses in his hands.</p><p>Michael would never forget what happened, but it's better to start from the beginning...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Him

**Author's Note:**

> Well, first story. I haven't been in this fandom for too long, so bear with me please :) Thanks.
> 
> (Plain italics means that they're thinking. Bold italics is just emphasis on something.)

Monday. Monday morning. Monday morning at school. **_High school._  **  
  
Michael slumped down at his desk. It was only first period, on the first day, and he was already exhausted.  _Damn... I should ease up on Minecraft..._ He thought to himself and rubbed his temples. Sighing softly, Michael put his bag down on the floor and took out his phone.  _No messages huh?  This is going to be a long day._ He decided and looked out the window, a member of the upper class-men grinned and pointed at him. Her too-white smile flashing at him almost mockingly as she whispered something to her friend. He rolled his eyes and turned away from her.

At that moment, his teacher walked in. She was a lanky looking old woman and at that moment, he could tell that this was going to be the most boring out of all his classes. The bell rang, Michael cringed, school started, and his social life ended.

* * *

Gavin chewed his lip in thought as he walked down the school hallway. He knew where he was going, even though he was new. He combed his fingers through his blonde hair as he stopped and looked up at the door to his classroom. _Bloody hell..._ _Late on the first day._ He sighed. _Better get it over with..._

"-sical mechanics distinguishes between kinetic energy, which is determined by an object's movement through space, and potential energy, which is a function of the position of an object within a field, which may itself be related to the arrangement of other objects or particles. These include- Oh, Mr. Free. How nice of you to join us." The teacher was an old woman, she set down the dry erase marker in her hand and crossed her arms. "You're half an hour late young man. Take a seat." She narrowed her eyes at him as he stood there, but turned towards the board again as he took a seat in the middle row. Much to his surprise, the teacher said no introduction of herself to him, or his self to the class. He shrugged it off and started writing down the notes, ignoring the looks that everyone gave him. They didn't yet know he was British, and he didn't care enough to tell them.

Before he knew it, the bell rang for the period to be over. Gavin smiled in relief and stood up quickly bumping into someone. "Oh! I'm so-" He stopped as he turned to face the boy he bumped into.

* * *

 Michel jumped to his feet when the bell rang. He was stuffing his things into his bag as he tried to leave, but bumped into someone and ended up dropping his things to the floor. He clenched his jaw, knowing that this day was going to be foul.

"I'm so-" A voice said. It was unfamiliar to Michael and he blinked a few times before looking up at the teen who belonged to that voice. Michael ended up looking into the greenest pair of eyes he's ever seen. The other boy stared at him, his lips parted slightly. Mr... Free was it? As if reading Michael's mind, he shook out his sandy blonde hair and offered his hand to Michael.

"I'm Gavin." He said, and right there with those two words, Michael heard how thick his accent was and couldn't help but smile. Michael took Gavin's hand and shook it firmly, pure amusement in his smile.

"I'm Michael." Gavin then looked down at their hands, his lips still slightly parted in a smile. Michael took this moment to really look at him. Though Gavin's nose was slightly larger than usual, his smile really evened it out...  _Wait... Where did that come from?_ Michael frowned slightly, but shook his head as if to shake the idea away. He looked back into Gavin's eyes and found those green eyes staring right into his own. Gavin smiled in a friendly way to Michael, and he felt it. Michael felt something click then and there. Gavin was someone he really wanted to be friends with.


	2. The Seed That Started It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray and Lindsay help Michael with his craving to be friends with Gavin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I hope someone is actually enjoying this *smiles nervously*

_Only lunch time... Damn...._ Michael leaned his head in his hand, boredly twirling a french fry in his fingers. Looking past the fry, he saw Ray sitting across from him, cracking jokes and laughing with Lindsay. Everyone else seemed to have gotten 'sick' or just ditched. He sighed through his nose and tossed his fry down on his tray.

"When are they ever going to serve real food.." Michael muttered and he felt someone look at him. Looking up, he saw Ray and he was grinning and gesturing to someone sitting next to Michael. Sometime between when Michael looked at them last, and when he threw his fry, Lindsay moved next to him. He forced a smile at Lindsay and she smiled back, but he felt too preoccupied to try for conversation.

"Gavin!" Michael blinked a few times and turned his head, scanning the crowd of teens for the sandy blonde hair he wanted to see. There he was, standing by the vending machine with two girls, a third was running up to them. From this distance, Michael couldn't tell who they were, but the way they were friendly with Gavin made him feel bitter. Gavin was smiling and laughing with them, but he was scanning the crowd as if looking for someone. He shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable.  _There he is... Should I go talk to him..?_ Michael furrowed his brow, why was he acting like such a... a... girl?  _It's because you just really want to be friends with him, besides, it's not like you've ever met anyone like him before._ Michael almost smiled at the thought. It was true, up until this point the people he knew were fairly local, excluding the fact that he moved from New Jersey to Texas not too long ago.

"-ichael? Michael!" Ray snapped his fingers in front of his face, frowning slightly. "Hey man, you okay? You've been smiling a lot and it's freaking me out." Michael blinked a few times and looked away from Gavin, to look over at Ray. 

"Huh..? Oh, I'm fine. Really." Michael ran his fingers through his curls, but stopped as he felt someone's eyes on him.

* * *

 Gavin entered the lunchroom with two girls from his biology class. He was watching the floor at his feet as the girls ranted on about Mr. Haywood and his miniature pet cow Edgar. The girl on his left laugh cut through Gavin's thoughts and he looked at her.

"God, did you see how Mr. Haywood looked at Edgar? It was like he thought he was some sort of God and that Edgar had to obey him!" The girl on his right laughed at that, Gavin only smiled and bought a water from the vending machine.

"That's because I am, and Edgar should know this by now." Said a deep voice as It's owner, Mr. Ryan Haywood, walked past them. The two girls waited until he was gone before laughing, after a moment, Gavin laughed too. Even though he was distracted. 

 _That lad from earlier... what was his name... Michael!_ Gavin stood straight as soon as he found Michael across the room, he didn't look at Michael directly though... because it seemed that he was already looking at Gavin. Afraid that Michael saw him staring, Gavin looked down at one of the girls and smiled as if he knew what they were talking about.

* * *

 Michael bit his lip, half from nerves, half from anger. What was so interesting about those girls?!  _Nothing. Nothing at all._ He thought bitterly.  _He should be over here... He doesn't even look like he's having fun!_ Michael blinked a few times and shook his head. Where did that anger come from? He took a deep breath and reluctantly turned away from Gavin, focusing on Ray and Lindsay. He frowned, where did Lindsay go?

"Lindsey went to get that kid you've been so focused on. What's the big deal anyway? Why wont you talk to him? Gavin isn't a bad guy." Ray said with a grin. Michael stood up suddenly and moved the whole table because of it.

"How did you-"

"I have biology with him." Ray laughed, though Michael couldn't see any reason for him to be laughing. Michael scowled at Ray, but ended up sitting down and taking a sip of his milk... that expired a week ago. Michael gagged and put his milk back on the tray. A gentle hand touched his back and when Michael turned, he met those green eyes again.

"Hello Michael. Are you alright?" Gavin smiled and offered his unopened water to Michael as he had a gagging fit. Gavin's touch sent a tingling feeling down Michael's spine, but he ignored it and nodded as he took the water from him. Gavin sat beside Michael, his knee brushing against Michael's innocently. Michael turned slightly and moved his leg so that they wouldn't touch. These feelings were weird, but he wasn't sure how he felt about them yet. He wasn't even sure what they were.

"So hey, Gavin." Michael looked up at Ray, who just then started speaking to them. "Michael and I were heading to an arcade this weekend, and I was wondering if you wanted to come." Gavin looked over at Ray, and Michael let out the breath he was holding, grateful that he no longer was watching him,  _Wait... When did I start holding my breath...?_ Gavin smiled as usual.

"Sounds top! When and where should I meet up with you?"

"Give me your phone." Michael said and took it from him, he went through and added his and Ray's contact information to it. "There." He said. "Now we can figure it out when it gets closer to that time." Gavin kept on smiling like an idiot and Michael gave him back his phone.  _Don't look at me like that..._ Michael looked down at the 'food' on his tray, too scared to eat it, but too nervous to get up and throw it away in front of Gavin. He clenched his fists in his lap and took a deep breath.  _You're being stupid, Michael..._  He bit the inside of his lip and looked up to find Gavin chatting away with Ray.

"-avin, it's not that hard to kill a skeleton!" Ray grinned, Gavin looked like he was going to laugh. It took Michael a moment, but he soon realized that they were talking about Minecraft.

"It is if you're surrounded." Michael stated, remembering plenty of times that he was killed by them.

* * *

Gavin took a chance and glanced over at Michael. He seemed really on edge since Gavin sat beside him.  _Am I making him uncomfortable?_ He wondered, and went back to his conversation with Ray.

"Oh you've got to be joking! Skeletons are harder than you give them credit for!" He argued and Ray just smiled.  _He sure does smile a lot..._

"Oh please Gavin, it's not that hard to kill a skeleton!" He saw then that Michael had lifted his head, and was looking at Ray. The look in his eyes cleared as he thought about what they were saying.

"It is if you're surrounded." Michael said, his voice a little shaky but had a firm edge. _He seems... What? Nervous?_ Gavin watched Michael for a moment, studying his face before nodding and looking back at Ray.

"He's got a point."

Ray just laughed. "But Gavin, you were talking about dying from them in general!"

Gavin shrugged, though he was smiling. "I'll admit, I'm not the best player out there." He saw Michael look at him, but couldn't tell if he was smiling or not. Ray looked from Gavin, to Michael and back. Wondering if something was going on between them. Gavin grinned faintly and started to relax, figuring that if he did, maybe Michael would too. For a moment it looked like it was working, until he accidentally rested his hand on Michael's. "Sor-" He tried to apologize as he pulled his hand away, but Michael suddenly stood with his tray of half eaten food.

"I should get going. I'll be in the library if you need me." He simply said and walked off, but before he left the lunchroom he waved and called. "I'll see you guys later!" Gavin blinked in surprise and looked at Ray, who looked just as confused as he was.  _Did I... Do something to anger him?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise that if people actually like this, then I'll start making the chapters longer!


	3. The Arcade Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Friday, Gavin and Ray have talked about the arcade non-stop, but when Ray gets sick, Michael finds himself having to go alone with Gavin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry v.v

Michael impatiently tapped his pencil on his notebook.  _Last period of the day, math. Easy enough, but man does it drag..._ He looked at the clock. He still had twenty minutes to kill before school ended. He rubbed his eyes with his palms as he listened to his teacher drone on. While fighting back the urge to groan, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

 

 

 

> >Gavin: Hey, busy? :)

He thought about this for a moment, but really, what was there to think about? Michael shook his head and replied as he relaxed in his seat.

 

 

 

> >Michael: Not really, why? Aren't you in phys ed?
> 
> >Gavin: Well... Not exactly. The substitute decided that we needed to watch a video on health and wellness today.

Michael couldn't help but smile at the text. Recently they had been texting a lot, and Gavin always managed to somehow put Michael in a good mood.

 

 

 

> >Michael: Sounds interesting.
> 
> >Gavin: As if! :P
> 
> >Michael: Well it couldn't be any worse than algebra. Anyway, what's up? You don't usually text me in class.
> 
> >Gavin: What? I can't just miss you? I actually have to have a reason?

Michael felt his face warm and he looked at the clock, there was 15 minutes left.

 

 

 

> >Michael: Gav, we're going to be meeting up with Ray at the arcade in an hour. And what the hell is up with the 'missing me' thing?
> 
> >Gavin: Oh right! I almost forgot, Ray cant come. He said he came down with something.

Michael set down his phone and sat back in his chair. It's only going to be him and Gavin... They're going to be alone, at an arcade, and then go out for pizza.  _Aw man, sounds like a.... a.... date.... A date though...._ Michael chewed his lip in thought.  _Would a date with Gavin be so bad?_ He felt his cheeks flame up at the thought, and he took a deep breath. 5 minutes, He'd see Gavin in a little over a half hour. He sighed and picked up his phone, staring at Gavin's text for a while.

 

 

 

> >Gavin: Michael? You still there? Well, either way I'll be waiting at my house. If we're still going, meet me there after school. I know we said we'd meet up at 3, but I can't wait to see you. :)

Michael stood up quickly, knocking over his chair.  _What the hell is **that** supposed to mean?!_

* * *

 Gavin stared at the screen of his phone. Michael didn't respond, was he not coming? He put his phone away and grabbed his bag as the bell rang. _Maybe Michael doesn't actually like me... He has been acting weird all week..._ Which was true. Every day at lunch, Michael would move down a seat if Gavin sat next to him. In the library during 3rd period English, Michael wouldn't look him in the eyes as they worked on their project together. Even after school, Michael got quiet when Gavin joined him, Lindsay and Ray by their lockers. Gavin shifted the weight of his bag on his shoulders and took out his phone again. There was a text, but from Ray.

 

 

 

> >Ray: Heya Gav!
> 
> >Gavin: What's up Ray? I thought you were sick.
> 
> >Ray: I am, sick of school~!

Gavin almost laughed at the text as he walked down the hall, weaving through the crowd. He waited until he was outside and in his host parent's car. Geoff looked over at Gavin from inside the car and grinned as Gavin got in the car.

 

 

 

> >Gavin: You did this on purpose, didn't you?
> 
> >Ray: Heh, I don't know what you mean.
> 
> >Gavin: You got 'sick' so that Michael and I would go to the arcade alone!
> 
> >Ray: Did I?

Gavin looked up as Geoff started the car and started driving home. Did Ray do this on purpose though? Something inside Gavin made him doubt that Ray thought it through this much. But, what if he did? Would Michael even go? What if he only wanted to go because Ray wanted to? 

"Something on your mind?" Geoff asked as they left the school behind. Gavin set his phone down in the cup holder beside him.

"It's Michael..." He said and leaned his head back against the seat. "Ray's gotten sick, and I just told Michael.. But he hasn't said anything.." Gavin looked over at Geoff. "Do you think that he's not coming?" Geoff stopped at a stop sign and looked at him. He smiled softly.

"Gavin, I'm sure that if Michael didn't want to spend time with you, he'd tell you. As for his behavior around you, maybe he's just shy since you're not from around here." Gavin considered this and smiled.

"...Thanks Geoff."

* * *

 Michael sat on the front steps of his house, it was quarter of three. He combed his fingers through his hair and stared at his text from Gavin.  _He wanted to see me... And I blew him off..._ He leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky.  _Well it's not 3 yet... Maybe I could still make it if I ran... Gavin's waiting for me..._ Michael stood, snatched his phone from the step and ran as fast as he could in the direction of Gavin's house.  _Please be waiting for me... I'm coming, Gavin..._

* * *

Gavin started walking down the stairs to the kitchen, where Geoff was cleaning up from their snacks. Gavin looked up at the clock on the wall behind Geoff and sighed. 3 o' clock.

"Michael's not coming, Geoff." He said and grabbed a sponge, getting it damp and wiping down the counters. Geoff put down the bowl that was in his hands and leaned back against a wall.

"Did he tell you that himself?" Geoff asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well no but-"

"But nothing." Geoff smiled and put a hand on Gavin's shoulder. "He could just be late, buddy. Be patient." With another smile, Geoff went back to washing dishes. Gavin looked down at his hands for a moment, then smiled.  _Yeah... Maybe..._ He squeezed out the water from the sponge and helped sweep the floor, pausing as the doorbell rang.

Geoff noticed that Gavin hesitated and ruffled his hair as he went to answer the door for a certain curly haired teen with glasses. Gavin stood up at the sight of Michael at the door.  Michael was breathless, his curls ruffled  by the wind, his face reddened from running. His chest rose and fell quickly as he tried to catch his breath. Once he noticed Gavin looking at him, he smiled and waved.  _Michael..._

* * *

 Michael looked at his phone for the time, 3:10. He took a deep breath before ringing Gavin's doorbell.  _Will he be the one who answers?  Will his dad answer? Maybe Gavin went to the arcade with someone else... Maybe with his girlf_ _-_ A man opened the door. Michael stared at him for a moment in confusion. His tattooed arms and beard gave him an intimidating look, but here he was, smiling at Michael as if he was happy to see him. Michael caught a glimpse of blonde hair and looked around the man in the doorway, to see Gavin standing there with a broom. His lips were parted slightly as if he was surprised to see him.

"So hey, are we heading to the arcade?" Michael asked a little too cheerily, a grin on his face. Gavin smiled.

"Course we are." He said and the man took the broom from Gavin. "This is Geoff, Geoff, this is Michael." Geoff smiled and nodded, turning and heading into the kitchen before Michael could say anything.  _Did he just call his dad by his first name?_ Gavin smiled at Michael, obviously noticing the confusion on his face. "Come on" Gavin said and stepped outside, closing the door behind him. "I'll explain on the way."

* * *

2 Hours Later

* * *

"So, Geoff is one of your host parents? Not your real parents?" Michael asked after they finished playing a game of two player Pac Man. Gavin chuckled softly and nodded.

"Yeah, my parents are still living in Oxfordshire." He turned and smiled at Michael. "How many times are we going to go over this?" Michael made a face at him.

"As many times as I want." He said simply.  _Until I get tired of hearing you talk..._ He blinks a few times, surprised at that thought. "Anyway, lets get some pizza. I'm starved." He playfully punched Gavin in the shoulder as he walked by and headed towards the eating area. Gavin stopped and looked up at the ceiling, a look of confusion on his face.

"Did you hear that?" He asked, then looked over at Michael. He did hear it...

"Crackling..." He whispered. Something above them cracked loudly and the ceiling sank. They both looked up, gold and red poured from the breaking parts in the ceiling.  _Fire._ Michael felt his breath freeze in his throat and his knees buckled.  _Right above me...._ His eyes widened.

 _"MICHAEL!"_ Gavin shouted, though they were only a few feet apart. The ceiling caved above him, fear freezing him in the spot. "MICHAEL MOVE!" Gavin shouted and he felt something slam into his side, Gavin tackled him out of the way. Gavin had tackled Michael into the corner and now they both lay crouched together, trapped, Gavin holding Michael against him. It was then that Michael realized that he was trembling.

"Hello?!" Called a voice, quiet and muffled from the sound of the raging fire.  _How did this happen? We were just having fun, and now this?_ "Is there anyone there?

"Yes! We're over here! There's two of us!" Gavin called back. Michael looked up at him, Gavin's face was lit warmly by the flames... They were so close, Michael just had to lean up...

"Help is on the w-" More of the ceiling fell, drowning out the voice.

"Bloody hell..." Gavin whispered, fear making his voice shake. "How did this happen..." He then looked down at Michael. "I'm so sorry, Michael..." He said and rested his forehead against Michael's, closing his eyes. Michael felt his heart pound even harder, if that was possible.

"Gavin... Gav I-" He stopped as more ceiling fell near by. Gavin took a deep breath and leaned in closer to him. "Gav..." He heard the ceiling over them groan with weight. "Gavin... I'm scared.." He whispered. Gavin smiled softly.

"Me too, Michael... Me too..." A support beam in the ceiling snapped. Gavin laid Michael down and gently pressed his lips against Michael's, kissing him softly and shielding his body against the falling ceiling. Gavin tensed as the ceiling above finally caved, landing hard on top of him. He held the weight for a moment and looked at Michael, blood dripping from his forehead and onto the floor next to Michael's head. Michael felt like his heart stopped, he stared up at Gavin. His face was twisted with pain. "M-Michael..." He said and Michael just stared, his lips parted as if he was going to say something. "Michael," Gavin tried again. "I love..." He collapsed beside Michael.

"Gavin..?" He coughed as he looked over at his friend, realization slowly dawning on him. "Gavin..?! Gavin! Gavin wake up!" He stared in horror at the heavy debris trapping the blonde. "GAVIN!"


	4. Rest Peacefully, Gavin David Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of my mother's birthday, I post this chapter for you all. Live long and healthy, Mom! You're the best and thank you for encouraging me to do what I love!

Sirens. Wailing, blaring. Honking, the sound of trucks screeching to a stop outside the building. Michael hugged his arms tight to his chest, tears streaming down his face. G _avin..._  He stared at his friend's body, laying in a pool of blood that's reflecting the merciless flames. _Wake up... please..._  He leaned back against the wall, sudden depression kicking in. _He's dead... He's never coming back..._

With a last desperate cry, he choked out through the smoke.  _"GAVIN! Wake up! You can't leave me on my own..."_ His heart broke, his lungs burned, his head ached. He let his shoulders slump, his entire body losing the strength and will to cry out.

"-ear me?! Hello! This is the Austin City Fire Department!" A man's voice echoed in his ears. Michael coughed but didn't reply. The voice sounded far away, was he going away? Part of Michael didn't care, Gavin died here and he wanted to too. His mind blanked and he closed his eyes, another tear sliding down his smoke dirtied face.  _I'm coming Gavin..._ "Can anyone hear me?!" There was a loud crash and some near by debris collapsed, showering sparks on Michael and burning his skin. A tall man wearing bulky clothes and a mask stepped through the opening in the debris, an ax in hand. "I've found a live one!" He said, his voice thick and muffled behind the mask. Michael opened his eyes slowly as the fireman lifted him onto his shoulder.

 _Wait... I can't..._ "G-Gavin..." He coughed and looked for his friend as the man started to walk away. The fireman didn't seem to hear him. "I-I can't..." He coughed again. "I can't leave him!" Michael squirmed and forced the man to look at him. "My  ** _friend_  **is still in here!" The man stopped and looked back where they were.

"Friend? There were two.. Look, kid. If there is someone else in there, they'd be dead. There's no way they'd survive in these conditions!" The man shouted over the flames as he climbed over fallen beams. Michael felt a blow to his heart with what he said.

"No... No way... NO! We have to go back!" Michael cried desperately in between coughing fits, his voice only growing weaker. By the time they got outside, and the man handed him over to the EMT in the ambulance, Michael was silent.  _He's going to burn away to nothing..._ Michael stared unfocused at the burning building, the people passing in front of him weren't even registering in his mind as being there... That is, until a fireman came out, carrying a tall blonde boy in her arms. His body was broken and burned, but it was his... Gavin's. Michael laid back on his gurney and closed his eyes.  _Now we at least have a body to bury..._

"We have to make room in the ambulance! We have another live one!" Michael's eyes snapped open but as he tried to sit up, an EMT forced him back down. Michael saw enough though, there was a fireman coming his way. Was it the same fireman? "Make room! This one's in critical condition!" No, this one was a man.

"There is no room here! Get another ambulance!"

"There  ** _is_  **no other ambulance!" Michael felt the EMT stick a needle in his arm, they were drugging him and he knew he wasn't going to remember what happens. He considered letting himself blackout, until he saw three EMTs laying a body next to him and fussing over it.

"We don't have much time, let's go!" The ambulance lurched forward suddenly,  pulling onto the road and driving as fast as was safe towards the hospital. The next few hours were only shattered bits of memories for Michael. Nurses, doctors, scissors, squeaky gurney wheels, heart pounding, beeping. _Beeping_.  _So much beeping._

* * *

  Ray stared out his bedroom window, his cell phone held tightly in his hand. "Michael... Gavin..." He whispered and slammed the side of his fist against the wall in a sudden burst of rage. "I was supposed to be there! I was supposed to be with them!" He tossed his phone on his bed, the short burst of anger gone. "Dammit!" After taking a few deep breaths, Ray slumped down on the floor with his back against the wall. _I should have been with them... If only I didn't... Didn't ditch them... Maybe this wouldn't have happened.._ There was a knock on his front door. With a sigh, Ray got up and went to go answer it. He opened the door to see no one there. Irritation twisted his features slightly and he slammed the door shut. _Stupid. This is stupid.._  He rubbed his face with his hands and went back to his room, seeing the screen on his phone flash with a new message.

 

> >Geoff: Hey Ray, it's Geoff

Ray's lips parted in surprise. If it's Geoff, maybe there's news? He dove onto the bed and picked up the phone to reply.

> >Ray: Geoff! Are they okay?! Is Gavin okay?! Have you seen Michael?!
> 
> >Geoff: I have no answers yet, I was actually about to head to the hospital.
> 
> >Ray: Take me with you! I need to know if they're okay!
> 
> >Geoff: Parents?
> 
> >Ray: At work, I'll be out front. Hurry up or I'll run there myself!

He stuffed his phone into his back pocket and dug through his closet for a sweatshirt. He felt nothing but guilt. Guilt for lying about being sick, guilt about ditching Gavin and Michael, guilt for lying to Geoff about his parents not being home, guilt even for being lazy. He zipped up his sweatshirt and stumbled his way to the front door, trying to put on his sneakers at the same time.

"Where are you going? It's almost 11!' Ray cringed at the sound of his mother's voice from the kitchen. He opened his mouth to answer, when he saw the time and paused. It wasn't even 9 yet... What was she talking about? He took a peek into the kitchen and found his mother shouting at a TV show as she made his father's lunch for the next day. On a normal occasion, Ray would have laughed or smiled. Instead he turned and snuck out the front door and waited on the sidewalk for Geoff, who pulled up less than ten minutes later.

A girl opened the door to the back seat for him, then moved to sit in the middle. Lindsay waved to him and smiled sadly, Jack sat on the other side of her. Geoff and Mr. Haywood were in the front seats. "Let's go, Ray." She said and gestured to the seat beside her, Edgar mooed from his spot on Ryan's lap and lifted his head to look at Ray. Ray smiled faintly, this all looked like something from a cheesy old movie about teen aged rebellion. He got in the car and shut the door behind him, Geoff putting the car into drive right at the sound of Ray's seat-belt being buckled.

"So has anyone heard anything?" Jack asked after a few minutes of silence.

Lindsay took a deep breath as Geoff turned the corner onto a main road."No, I only heard about an hour ago that the building went up in flames." Lindsay said as she watched the buildings go by outside the window. Ray saw the look of fear that flashed over Geoff's face.

"The police were saying that the fire started a couple hours ago and is still burning." Jack commented, finding something very interesting about the back of Ryan's headrest. Ryan's face was lit by the glow of his phone, he was scrolling through news reports.

"Reporters say that the second floor collapsed on the first, trapping three boys and one woman inside." Ryan stated and scrolled down again. "The woman and one of the boys were killed by falling debris, no names are to be released at this time..." They went silent. All of them were afraid that either Michael or Gavin would be that one boy. Though they felt bad for the woman, she wasn't their biggest concern.

"You see things like this all the time on TV... Burning buildings and people dying..." Geoff started, sadness and fear mixing in his voice with an edge of calm anger. "Who would have thought that it would have happened to us..." They all knew that Geoff meant him and Gavin, but no one said a word since they agree. Twenty minutes later, Geoff was parking in the hospital parking lot. Ray practically jumped out of the car, he didn't even wait until Geoff put the car in park.

"Ray, wait!" Lindsay called as Ray ran into the hospital. Ryan got out of the car and looked at the others, most of them were watching Ray run off. He shut the door, leaving Edgar inside with the window opened slightly. Geoff soon joined him.

"It's going to be fine." Ryan said simply, though he doubted his own words. Geoff looked at him for a moment, then up at the hospital.

"Depends on your definition of fine.." Geoff murmured and followed Ray inside, the others walking in behind him. Ray was standing at the front desk, arguing with the young woman there.

"I want to see my friend! Michael Jones?! Heard of him?" He snapped. The woman looked exhausted, her strawberry blonde hair was falling out of her bun in many places and her frown lines were deepening from hours of arguing with visitors.

"Look kid. You need an adult with you. I can't just let you waltz in there unattended!" She clenched her teeth and was clearly fighting to calm herself. Geoff walked up behind Ray and gently rested his hand on his shoulder. "He's with me, so are these others." Geoff said, he sounded tired. The woman looked relieved that their conversation was now over. A doctor then approached them.

"Are either of you... or both of you, Michael Jones's parent or guardian?" He asked, looking from Ryan to Geoff. Ryan blinked a few times, then realized that the Doctor was thinking that they were a gay couple. Ryan took a step to the side, away from Geoff.

"N-No no no! We're not..." Ryan cleared his throat and looked away from Geoff. "We're friends of his parents." The doctor looked from the utterly destroyed Geoff, to embarrassed and awkward feeling Ryan.

"This way, please.." He said and made his way to the elevator. The five of them and the doctor quickly got into the elevator, Ray impatiently tapping his foot on the metal floor.  _Come on, come on...._ The elevator dinged as they got to the fifth floor, the doctor leading the way down the hall. Ray tried to conceal his anxiety, to relax enough to not seem scared of the condition that Michael may be in.  _What if he's mad at me?_ The thought shocked Ray. Would Michael really be mad at him? It wasn't really his fault... The doctor's knock on a door broke through his thoughts.

There was a sigh from inside the room,  a shuffle of clothing and a hoarse voice saying, "Come in..."

* * *

Michael cringed as he sat up and watched his friends enter the room, one after another.  _Geoff, Ryan, Jack, Lindsay, and Ray... Wait, where Gavin?_ The memory hit Michael like a punch in the face.  _Gavin's dead..._  He took a deep breath and looked down at his bandaged arms. Ray and Lindsay were the first to approach him, Lindsay hugging him painfully and Ray looking like he's about to cry.

"Michael.." Geoff said, hesitantly taking a step closer to Michael's bed. "Is Gavin..." His words failed as Michael's eyes looked up at him. Sadness made his eyes heavy, Geoff was the only other person who knew about what the two of them felt for each other. Geoff put a hand on Michael's shoulder as tears came to Michael's eyes.

"He's gone, Geoff... Gavin's gone..." Michael said, his voice cracking at Gavin's name. "He protected me at the cost of his own life..." Michael closed his eyes and Ray looked from him to Geoff. Lindsay hid her face with her hands, and Ryan stared out the window at the dark Austin streets.

"Rest peacefully, Gavin David Free..." Ryan whispered.


	5. Broken Hearts Will Heal Over Time, But Will Still Be Cracked

Michael opened his eyes and painfully sat up. It's been four days since it happened. Four days since he had last seen Gavin smile at him. Four days since he himself smiled. Michael took a deep breath and looked over at the window, frowning at the closed curtains. He pressed the button beside his bed several times, wanting the nurse to come. While waiting for the nurse, Michael let his mind wander.  _Gavin..._  He sighed softly, no where near surprised that he was his first thought. The nurse came in and opened the curtains, getting Michael water and fluffing his pillow before leaving. Michael hardly noticed her even entering.  _Gavin... Wherever you are... I hope you're happy... I hope... I hope there is a heaven, because I know you'd be there..._ Tears came to his eyes.  _No, stop._ He pressed his palms against his eyes.

"Fuck..." Michael whispered, his voice choking on tears as he started to cry again. "Gavin..."

* * *

Ray rested his forehead against the door. He had heard Michael cry, heard Michael's pain in his voice as he whispered Gavin's name. Ray took a deep breath and knocked on the door, forcing a smile as Michael allowed him to enter.

"R-Ray..." Michael said, his voice was still choked by tears but he was forcing himself to look like he was fine. Ray put his hand on Michael's shoulder gently and tried to smile.

"How are you feeling?" He asked and sat on the bed beside Michael, pulling his hand away and looking around the room. "It's kinda lonely in here bro." 

Michael looked around, then out the window. "It is, and the silence has given me a lot of time to think."

"I know." Ray said quickly.

Michael raised an eyebrow, bitterness forming in his heart. "What?"

"I know how you feel. But it's not your faul-"

"Shut up!" Michael interrupted angrily.

Ray looked at him and blinked in surprise, Michael's never sounded so angry before. Ray's mouth opened slightly, as if he was going to say something, but closed it again as if he thought better of it. Michael's eyes were blazing with rage, but if it was at him, Ray would never know. Ray studied Michael's face instead of saying anything. His lips were pressed together tightly into a straight line, his dark eyes were narrowed and shadowed with forbidding.

"Don't even. Don't even  _try."_ The words were a whisper, but Ray could almost feel the venom from them.

"I just want to hel-"

"Well  ** _knock it off."_** Michael snapped. "I don't _want_ your help, Ray! I don't  _need_ your help!"

Ray just stared at him, Gavin's death really must be eating at him if he was changing this much.

"What happened to you..?" Ray whispered, not intending Michael to hear. Unfortunately, he did anyway.

"What happened to  _me? **What happened, to me?!**_ What the fuck do you _think_ happened Ray?!" He said bitterly, his voice rising and falling in anger and in pain from his injuries.

The heart monitor beeped away wildly in Ray's ear, Michael didn't care that he was getting so angry. Ray got up off of the bed, standing still for a moment as he looked at Michael's face. The anger was reddening his face, starting from his ears.

"How would I know...?"

Michael hit him with his pillow.

 ** _"_ _I lost Gavin!"_** He shouted angrily, tears coming to his eyes as his voice choked on Gavin's name.

Ray suddenly realized what was going on, it wasn't just the fact that they had lost a friend... No, it was much more than that to Michael. Ray took a step away from Michael, unsure of how to apologize, unsure of what to say.

"You loved him..." He found himself saying and his eyes widened at the words that slipped quietly from his lips.  _I said that out loud..._   _Shit..._ Michael threw his pillow at Ray, his eyes darker than before, shadowed with forbidding.

"Get out." Michael said quietly, his tone demanding and dangerous as well as calm.

Ray looked down at his hands, his phone held tightly in one and the other empty but held tightly into a fist. He was scared of upsetting his friend, but didn't want him to think that he was against Michael's feelings.

"I'm sorry, Michael." He said simply but truthfully before quickly exiting the room. Ray leaned against the door as it shut behind him, Michael's quiet cries inaudible to everyone but Ray.  _He's never going to forgive himself..._ Ray sighed softly and turned to walk down the hall to the lobby.  _He's always going to think that it was his fault..._ A blonde kid taller than Ray walked by with a girl, smiling and laughing as he held her hand. For a moment, Ray could have sworn it was Gavin. He stopped and stared after the kid, still seeing him as Gavin. Ray rubbed his eyes and looked again, the boy actually had brown hair, not blonde. Let alone the fact that he looked nothing like Gavin. Ray bit his lip and exited the hospital, weaving his way through the cars in the parking lot to his mother's car. She sat there quietly, her attention focused on her book. She didn't notice Ray getting in the car until he buckled his seat belt and hit his elbow against the door. "Ow..." He muttered and she put the bookmark in it's place.

Without even asking, she started the car and started driving away.

* * *

Michael stared at the door after Ray left, and kept staring until the nurse entered the room an hour later to change his bandages. She chatted away while Michael ignored her, he didn't want to hear anymore rumors that could get his hopes up.

"-leased tomorrow afternoon." She was saying when Michael started to pay attention.

"What?" He said softly, then coughed to clear his throat.

She looked at him for a moment, wondering if the cough was a sign that he needs more medication. She stood up, deciding that he didn't, and went over to the other side of his bed to change the bandage on his other arm and head.

"Your condition wasn't too bad and the doctor says that if you dress your wounds at home, then you can be released tomorrow, depending on your condition." She said, smiling faintly.

 _Only five days in the hospital after being in a fire?  I thought... Don't people stay longer than that?_ He thought and closed his eyes, resting his head on his pillow as she wrapped up his arm. The nurse was hardly older than he was, and she was only working here part time as she went to medical school at the same time. Michael knew that she was looking him over, checking him out, and maybe in another life he would flirt with her. Maybe.

The nurse let her hands linger on his for longer than was necessary, but Michael was too tired to pull away. He felt nothing from her touch, and, remembering how he felt with Gavin's touch, realized that Ray was right. Michael was in love with Gavin.

* * *

Darkness. Soft beeping in the distance. Muffled voices. More Darkness.

* * *

Two Weeks Later

* * *

Michael opened his eyes, his vision slowly coming back into focus. He groaned as he sat up, his entire body ached. There was a shuffle of clothing beside him and Ray stretched in his chair before softly snoring again.  _Ray?_ Michael watched him for a minute. _I yelled at you, told you to leave... Why are you here?_ Michael stretched, deciding to just ask Ray what he was doing when he woke up.

"You're awake..." Said a voice, a tired and gentle voice that belonged to someone who hasn't slept in a few days. Michael looked over at the room's door to see Geoff there, leaning against the door frame. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. His beard was scruffy and his clothes were creased as if he slept in them. "Hey." Geoff pushed away from the wall and slowly walked over to his bed, standing beside Michael and leaning against the back of another chair that was occupied by Jack, who slept silently.

"H-" He tried, but had to clear his throat. "Hey.. Geoff." Michael stared at him for a moment before continuing. "What are you guys doing here...?"

"We've been watching over you for over a week now, making sure you were okay." Geoff said, but yawned in the middle of his sentence.

"A... week? But I've only been in here for five days." Michael frowned, was Geoff trying to mess with him? But... Then again, he just saw Geoff the day before and he looked nothing like this. Or... Was the last time he saw Geoff, weeks ago?

"You've been asleep, Michael." Geoff said, after a moment of silence between them. "You've been sleeping for a couple weeks now.."

"What? Geoff, this is stupid. Stop trying to mess with me." Michael narrowed his eyes slightly, his eyebrows furrowed.  _I would know if I slept that long.... Right?_ Michael looked down at his arms, seeing that his bandages were gone. There were scars still, and they were still sensitive when he touched them, but they were only scars.

Geoff opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the door to his room opening. Michael looked past Geoff to see Ryan and Lindsay walking in with trays of coffee and a couple brown paper bags of breakfast sandwiches. Lindsay was searching through one of the bags and Ryan was looking in the bag over her shoulder.

"Did you get the ham?" Ryan asked her, Michael took this moment to look at them both. They were in better condition than Ray, Geoff and Jack, but they still looked exhausted. "Edgar knows when I eat beef...." Ryan's voice faded as he looked up and noticed Michael looking at him. He went silent and smiled slightly.

"Of course I did. I'm not a kid, I know how to..." Lindsay looked up at Ryan, then over to see what he was looking at. She locked eyes with Michael, and her jaw dropped. "Michael..." She said softly, Ryan took the bags of food away from her and nudged her forward. Lindsay stumbled slightly, then regained her balance and ran over to Michael's side. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Michael blinked in surprise. "Eh... Lindsay..?" Slowly, Michael stiffly wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"You're awake... You're okay..." She practically whimpered as she held him. "I'm so glad..."

Michael looked up to see Ryan and Geoff watching the two of them silently.

"Hey Michael!" Said Ray as he yawned and got out of his chair. Ray smiled like their last conversation never happened.

"Hey.. Ray." He replied, Jack stirred in the corner of Michael's vision. Michael looked at them all. "I'm... I'm glad to see you all here..."

Lindsay wiped away a tear and smiled, Geoff rubbed his eyes tiredly, Ray sat and leaned against the back of the chair, Ryan set down the bags of food and the coffee, grabbing his cup and watching the others silently. Michael meet each of their eyes and smiled lightly at Jack, who was still sleeping. The sight of them all brought a twinge of happiness to his heart, that is, until a nurse walked in. He must have been in his early twenties, he was a dirty blonde and had green eyes, he had a scar on his forehead and a friendly smile as he walked over to Michael. Michael felt tears come to his eyes and he looked away, he knew that the others were staring at the nurse too.

"Gavin..." He heard Ray whisper under his breath. The sound of Gavin's name on someone else's lips hurt his heart and Michael wanted to scream.  _Don't be so childish..._ He scolded himself mentally and took a deep breath before facing the nurse.

"Hey." He said, his voice a little more irritated than intended. The nurse looked down at his clipboard and flipped through the pages.

"How are you feeling?" The nurse asked, he sounded cautious.  _No accent though... Good._ Michael almost sighed in relief. The nurse watched him carefully, then the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.

"I'm fine, just kinda.. stiff." Michael shrugged. From behind the nurse, Michael heard Ray chuckle.

"Oh, I thought you were just glad to see me." Ray whispered and smiled innocently at Michael, who glared at him. Whether or not the nurse heard him, Michael couldn't tell.

"Is there something wrong? I don't think that I pushed the button.." Michael said, referring to the button beside his bed.

The nurse just smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all. I'm just here to do a quick check in."

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep... Is that all that bloody thing does?!_

He stirred, felt the cloth move over his skin, felt his bangs brush over his closed eyelids, felt the pain throughout his body as he moved. He tried to open his eyes, slowly his eyelids parted, but they shut again quickly.  _Oh come on._ He urged and tried them again, as soon as they opened, a blindingly bright white light made them shut again. Damn.  _Once more..._ He took a painfully deep breath and opened his eyes, the light making them squint for a while before his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. A man stood there, he looked like he had been there for days. The man smiled as tears came to his eyes.

"G-Geoff." He said hoarsely as he recognized the man. Geoff just smiled more as a tear slid down his cheek and into his scruffy beard.

"Morning, sunshine." He said, sarcasm in his voice as if he was going to use it, but didn't actually say anything sarcastic. "You've been asleep for quite some time."

He closed his eyes again, the sunlight still stinging a bit. He didn't doubt that he was sleeping for a long time. He coughed painfully, his ribs hurting with each breath.

"Take it easy..." Geoff said, gently resting his hand on the coughing boy's shoulder. "You don't want to wear yourself out already."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep Calm and Mavin On~


	6. Beat Me Till You're Gone Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael is finally released from the hospital and gets to go back to school, but for how long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter will me short and will be in two parts, I'm sorry. But I hope you all haven't given up on me!
> 
> Keep Calm and Mavin On~!

_Riiiiing._  
  
The bell for lunch rang and woke Michael up from his nap through English. He rubbed his eyes as he sat up.

"What..?" He whispered and looked around at everyone, taking a minute to realize that everyone was packing up for either lunch, or their next period. Michael stood up and packed his things, taking his time so that he's the last one to leave for lunch. As soon as he stepped out into the hall, the people nearest him went silent. Since Michael came back to school, alive and in good health, wild rumors about the fire began to spread.

"I heard he pushed the kid into the fire..." Whispered one girl to another as Michael approached his locker. He pretended not to notice, since this was all he ever heard from around him.

"No way! I heard that he was the one who started the fire!" Said another.

"I heard that the whole thing was just to get rid of the British kid just so that Michael wouldn't have to share that, Ray kid with him." At this, Michael frowned. He personally thought it made more sense compared to the others, since he never really spent time with Gavin besides that day.

Michael stopped in place and looked around. _How could these people live their lives when a fellow classmate was dead? How could they talk about it as if it were a new style of t-shirt? How can they be so selfish..._

Michael felt tears burn and threaten to fall, so he walked over to the bathroom and dropped his bag next to the sink. He then turned on the water and bent over the sink with his head in his hands. He felt pathetic for crying in school, but still the thought of Gavin no longer being by his side made him feel guilty and alone. Michael splashed water in his face and took a deep breath before looking up at himself in the mirror. His hair was a mess and his eyes were red from crying.  _Pathetic Michael... Pull yourself together!_

The memory of Gavin smiling down at him and whispering that everything would be okay, suddenly seemed to appear in the mirror and Michael felt tears again as he growled and punched the mirror. The glass shattered, the spiderweb like cracks spread out from around his fist and to the edges of the mirror. Blood dripped down and into the cracks in the glass beneath his hand and Michael pulled his hand away to look at his distorted image. It was like looking at someone unrecognizable.

Michael washed his hand in the sink, the blood dripping off his knuckles as he pulled the glass shards out of his knuckles and tears streamed down his cheeks.

"Michael." Said a quiet voice from behind him. He then turned to see himself face to face with Ray. He covered his injured hand with his good one and held them both in front of him. Ray took a step closer to Michael, slowly reaching out his hand to grab Michael's. He moved slowly as if trying not to scare away a frightened animal. Ray opened his mouth as if to talk, but closed it again as he held Michael's injured hand. Ray held it with one hand and gently touched the wounds with a finger on his other hand. "Michael.." He repeated, quieter than before.

"I'm fine." Michael said and pulled his hand away. He then grabbed some toilet paper and dabbed at the blood on his hand. "You might want to wash your hands before lunch." Michael said as he finished cleaning himself up.

Ray watched Michael silently, he knew his friend was suffering emotionally about what happened and that he blamed himself for what Gavin did for him. Ray looked down at his feet, knowing that Michael wasn't going to say anything else.

As predicted, Michael snatched his bag off of the floor and left the bathroom as Ray started to wash his hands.

Michael stood outside the bathroom door until he heard the water in the sink run. He knew he was practically ignoring Ray, but how could he face someone who was good friends with Gavin, before he... Well. Michael knew that they weren't really friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry that this has taken so long. My computer has been having some technical difficulties, and decided to delete this chapter four times. Not to mention a family death and some relationship issues with friends. But I promise that I'll start posting again soon.
> 
> Keep Calm and Mavin On~


	7. Beat Me Till You're Gone Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uh... Let's just say that life for me isn't going too well. I find peace with these stories though.. And thank you all for continuing to read... It gives me the inspiration I need to keep going.
> 
> Keep Calm and Mavin On~

Last period of the day, and Ryan was cleaning up a mess that Edgar had made on the floor. One of the students had scared Edgar, and he went on a mini stampede. Despite this, and what happened to Gavin.. He was eerily calm. His students had even noticed, they sat silently in their seats as they watched their teacher stare down the length of his broom at the broken glass on the floor. 

Someone in the back of the room coughed, and Ryan looked up to find Michael staring at him.  _No._ He realized.  _Michael isn't looking at me... He's staring off into space again._ Slowly, Ryan leaned the broom against the wall, not even paying attention to Edgar as he kept his eyes on Michael.

There was a small crash, and Edgar gave a squeal similar to that of a pig's. Edgar began running around again, and with a wide eyed look of horror, Ryan noticed that somehow Edgar lit his back on fire.

"Edgar!" Ryan cried and hurriedly grabbed the fire extinguisher. One of the boys in the back of the room, one seat in front of Michael, laughed. As Ryan sprayed his cow, he noticed that Michael still didn't seem to be focused. He was obviously a wreck, if you knew him well enough, and Ryan did.. since he has been spending so much time with his student because of what happened.

Edgar mooed softly and sadly when the fire was put out, his back slightly burnt. The boy kept laughing, his arms crossed over his gray hoodie and his head tilted back with a wicked grin on his lips.

"How much you wanna bet, that that's exactly how that blonde idiot sounded when he died?" He laughed. Ryan glared at the kid, but before he could say anything, Michael shot out of his seat, standing so fast that his chair slid back and fell over.

_"What did you just say?"_ Michael hissed, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses and an unkept curl that hung down over one eye. The other boy, a tall light skinned brunette on the football team, stood up as well. Ryan almost stepped back, the fire in Michael's previously dull eyes had surprisingly scared him. The brunette leaned down to look Michael in the eye and said with a sneer.

"I bet he was screaming like the fucking bitch he is. Oh sorry, was. Before you killed him. Why would the school let a little murderer like you into this school anyway?"

"Shut up!" Michael snapped, though Ryan could hear his anger starting to be replaced by sadness.

"I bet he screamed like a little pussy!" He laughed bitterly again, the rest of the class, and Ryan, just stared at him open mouthed. No one could believe that he was being this disrespectful about Gavin, or that he was even confronting Michael about it. Some of them even believed that Michael  _was_ Gavin's killer, and were too scared to even look Michael in the eye. "A coward like that, he deserved to die. Besides, this is an American school. We don't need those dumbass British-"

"SHUT UP!" Michael yelled, his voice like steel as he tackled the older boy to the ground. There was a thump as both boys hit the tiled floor, and a crunch as Michael connected his fist with the older boys nose. Ryan almost felt the punch himself, and stepped back, completely in a daze. The girls in the class were watching in between their fingers when they  covered their eyes with their hands, and the boys cheered and made bets.

"Get 'em Corey!" Cried one of the girls from the back of the room. Corey, the football player, was struggling to block Michael's punches. His nose was bleeding and possibly broken as well. He had his forearms over his face in a protective position but Michael continued to punch at Corey's face.

"M-.." Slowly finding his voice, Ryan approached the two. "Michael.." He said, his voice quiet as if it wasn't used in a long time.

"Take. It. Back!" Michael shouted, tears streaming down his cheeks. "You know nothing! Nothing!" He cried.

"Michael!" Ryan called out as he made his way through the crowd of his students who gathered around the fight. "Michael stop!" He wrapped his arms around Michael and pulled him off of the half unconscious boy. Michael kicked out at him and managed kick him in the place no man should be kicked. Corey groaned and rolled onto his side. All of Ryan's students stared at Michael silently, not knowing how to react to this.

"Gavin deserved to live! He deserved to be here and live life as he used to! He didn't deserve what he got!" Michael spat. "I didn't deserve his protection!" He cried and shoved out of Ryan's grip, only to run out into the hallway and leave everyone speechless.

* * *

 Michael cradled his still bleeding hand to his chest as he ran down the hall, tears streaming down his face.  _I didn't deserve it... I don't deserve to be here... Alive... Gavin..._ He imagined Gavin's face at the lunch table, smiling at Ray as they shared a joke. Then Gavin as he focused on the games when they were at the arcade together. Then Gavin's laugh as Michael yelled at him for messing up on a game they played together. Then Gavin as Michael suggested getting pizza. Michael stumbled and bumped into someone as tears began to blind him.  _I don't deserve to be alive..._ Michael fell to his knees, the arms of the person he ran into were wrapping around him and were trying to keep him up. Gavin's face as he smiled down at Michael, moments before the ceiling collapsed on him. It was too much, Michael felt like he couldn't handle it.

"Gavin..." He whispered as he closed his eyes, his voice choked with emotion.

"Hello, Michael."


	8. An Unexpected Visit Pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael gets a visit from someone he hadn't seen in a long time. But the news he receives from them is hard for him to process. Michael begins to get anxious, but at the same time more lively. But because of this news and his recent behavior, Michael finds himself once again in the hospital, face to face with a problem that drives him right back into utter depression.
> 
> Keep Calm and Mavin On~

**_ Last Chapter _ **

 Michael cradled his still bleeding hand to his chest as he ran down the hall, tears streaming down his face.  _I didn't deserve it... I don't deserve to be here... Alive... Gavin..._ He imagined Gavin's face at the lunch table, smiling at Ray as they shared a joke. Then Gavin as he focused on the games when they were at the arcade together. Then Gavin's laugh as Michael yelled at him for messing up on a game they played together. Then Gavin as Michael suggested getting pizza. Michael stumbled and bumped into someone as tears began to blind him.  _I don't deserve to be alive..._ Michael fell to his knees, the arms of the person he ran into were wrapping around him and were trying to keep him up. Gavin's face as he smiled down at Michael, moments before the ceiling collapsed on him. It was too much, Michael felt like he couldn't handle it.

"Gavin..." He whispered as he closed his eyes, his voice choked with emotion.

"Hello, Michael."

 

**_ Now _ **

Michael froze, a tear falling down his cheek being the only movement from either of them. The guy that was trying to hold him up, gently let Michael go. He then came around to crouch in front of him.

"Geoff..." Michael whispered with both disappointment and relief from seeing a man he considered a friend after him being gone for a week or so. There was a strange comfort in being around Geoff, and Michael found with surprise that he no longer felt the need to cry. It was almost the same feeling Michael had with Gavin, but less intense.

Geoff ruffled Michael's hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you, I didn't think you'd cry." He apologized, not knowing what Michael was really upset about. He then stood and offered a hand up to the teen. "I uh, I think it's time we talked." Hesitantly, Michael took his hand and pulled himself to his feet. All memory of his tears and bleeding hand gone, until Geoff turned his hand over to see the cuts on his knuckles. _I should have given him my other hand..._ "What happened?" He asked, surprise in his eyes but otherwise nonexistent. Michael lowered his eyes.

"I punched a mirror." He muttered and tried pulling his hand away. Geoff was having none of it though.

"It's about Gavin, isn't it?" He replied, his voice low as if he didn't want anyone to hear him except Michael. "Michael-"

"So what if it is?" Michael snapped and looked up at the man. There were no tears in Michael's eyes. There was no anger. Just disappointment and grief. "I had feelings for him. I know that, but it wasn't really going to go anywhere. High school relationships don't last, Geoff. So why would Gavin and I be any different? And besides.." He hesitated, wondering if he really should continue his thought. "Gavin probably only kissed me to calm me down... I'm sure it didn't mean anything." At that, Michael looked away. That thought had been swimming in his mind for a while, but he was afraid that if he spoke it aloud, it would be true. Geoff's grip on Michael's hand loosened until he dropped it.

"You can't.. Really believe that can you?" He asked and searched Michael's face for a hint of a lie, or of him joking. "Michael-"

"Why are you here anyway?" Michael interrupted, not wanting Geoff's pity.

"I... I came to take you to the hospital. There's someone there I knew you'd want to see." Geoff sighed. "But it seems to me from what you said, that you don't want to see him." Michael's eyes lit up and he suddenly stood straighter.

"Gavin?" He said breathlessly, his heart suddenly pounding. "He's alive?" Michael ran a shaky hand through his hair and thought for a moment.  _Maybe.. Maybe I was wrong. Gavin's okay_


End file.
